Sunday Is The Big Day - The Super Bowl - With Hordes Of Hungry Football Fans About To Descend. So, Here's The Play: Pass Around Some Of These Easy-to-fix, Long-cooking Dishes And Get As Many Ovations As Brett Favre . . . Maybe More.

A 'Game' Plan

Many football fans are ecstatic that Super Bowl XXXII between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers is being played this Sunday. However, cooking fans may find this day of football fever debilitating when friends sit around seeming to care more about Brett Favre and John Elway than the menu of the day. But believe it or not, game day can be heaven for those of us more interested in a souffle than a quarterback sack.

There we are in our snug kitchens, surrounded (well, sorta) by friends who are pleasantly engaged in another activity, leaving us in peace to interpret the day's cooking instructions.

No pressure for a coordinated, well-timed meal, but lots of cheerful gratitude for the steady stream of gifts from the kitchen.

Such lovely symbiosis suggests that those kinds of friends deserve something better than cold cuts or food delivered in a hatchback.

True, no well-conceived menu can be gracefully consumed in the time allotted to halftime (even given this year's Super Bowl Motown extravaganza in Qualcomm Stadium), but there are dishes that can back-burner it during the first two quarters and emerge fresh and hot when the teams retreat. Anything that can't be overcooked is probably a candidate _ long-cooking stews, jambalaya, pot roast and chili.

Given that the Super Bowl is being played in San Diego, with it's proximity to Mexico, we propose a chili that we've been working on for a few football seasons. It's convenient in that it can be done a day ahead, and it's different because it stars strips of beef, not ground meat. (In fact, because of the cut, it has the look of a Chinese braised-meat dish, but it maintains the flavor profile of a Southwestern chili.)

It's not too ambitious to offer sensational green-chili corn muffins with the main dish. Early on, you can put the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the egg mixture in another (refrigerate this one). Toward the end of the first half, a discreet disappearance into the kitchen will create as much anticipation as a last-minute scoring drive.

We also offer a variety of South-of-the-Border nibbles to enjoy throughout the pregame (beginning at 4 p.m. on WTVJ-Ch. 6 and WPTV-Ch. 5) and the game (kickoff is at 6:18 p.m.).

Oh, and if the Broncos play the way the oddsmakers say they will, know that you're going to have to serve earlier in the game, because dispirited fans tend to leave early _ even if it is the Super Bowl.

Food editor Deborah S. Hartz contributed to this report.

APPETIZER

BEEF TORTILLA PINWHEELS

If you are cooking for a crowd, this recipe can be easily doubled.

1 (8-ounce) container soft cream cheese with chives and onions

4 (8- to 10-inch diameter) flour tortillas

1 cup fine-chopped and seeded cucumber

2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans chopped pitted ripe olives

3/4 pound thin-sliced deli roast beef

Spread cream cheese evenly on one side of each tortilla. Top each with equal amounts of cucumber and olives. Layer deli roast beef over olives, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Roll up tightly. To serve, cut each roll crosswise in half. Makes 4 servings (serving size: 2 halves).

Just in case you can't resist serving wings _ a perennial football favorite _here's a spicy recipe. Serve wings with blue cheese and celery. And for those who want to avoid deep-frying, we offer baked and broiled variations. 2 1/2 pounds chicken wings

Vegetable oil, optional, for frying

1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

Cut wings into three pieces at joints discarding wing tips. If deep-fat frying (see Baked or Broiled Variations below for alternatives), fill large heavy saucepan or deep-fat frier with oil. Heat oil over high heat to 400 degrees. Deep-fry wings 12 minutes or until crisp and no longer pink; drain on paper towels. Do not crowd; this may have to be done in batches. Return fat to 400 degrees between batches.

Broiled variation: Place wings in a single layer on rack in foil-lined roasting pan. Broil 6 inches from heat 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and no longer pink, turning once. Continue with recipe given above.